Frequently Asked Questions

It’s the foundational posture behind Christian financial planning: you’re not the ultimate owner of your wealth, you’re the manager of it. That shifts the core question from “How do I maximize what’s mine?” to “How do I faithfully manage what’s His?”

There’s no single formula — this is a matter of prayerful discernment, not a fixed percentage rule. Many faith-aligned investors find it helpful to work with an advisor who can model different giving and investing scenarios side by side, so the decision is informed rather than guesswork.

Slow down before you deploy it. A sudden increase in wealth changes daily decisions — from lifestyle spending to how you view financial security — more than people expect. The most faithful first step is usually building a values-based framework before making any large decisions, rather than reacting to opportunities as they appear.

Regular, honest evaluation of your own motives and spending habits is the practical answer. Concrete tools — a giving plan, an accountability partner or advisor, a habit of asking “why” before major purchases — turn a vague spiritual goal into something you can actually check yourself against.

Tithing is typically a consistent percentage given as an act of worship and obedience. Strategic kingdom giving goes further — thinking intentionally about which ministries, causes, or organizations your capital can most effectively support, often involving larger or more occasional gifts tied to specific opportunities.

A donor-advised fund lets you contribute assets — including appreciated stock — now, take the tax benefit now, and recommend grants to ministries and charities over time. For high-net-worth Christian investors, it’s one of the more efficient ways to be intentional and strategic about giving rather than reactive.

At that level, the conversation moves beyond simple asset allocation into tax strategy, estate structuring, entity planning, and more sophisticated giving vehicles. It’s also where accredited-investor and qualified-purchaser status can open up private investments and funds not available to smaller accounts.

A retail investor is anyone investing without special SEC status. An accredited investor generally needs $1M+ in net worth (excluding primary residence) or a high income threshold, which opens access to certain private offerings. A qualified purchaser is a higher bar — generally $5M+ in investments — that unlocks access to a further tier of private funds. (These thresholds are set by SEC rule and worth confirming against current regulation.)

Once you reach RMD age, the IRS requires you to withdraw — and pay tax on — a minimum amount from tax-deferred retirement accounts each year, whether you need the income or not. For larger IRAs, that can create a significant tax event; strategies like Roth conversions, qualified charitable distributions, and timed withdrawals can soften the impact if planned years in advance.

It depends on your risk tolerance and goals like any other portfolio decision — but faith-aligned investors have a growing set of options, including funds with specific regional or thematic focus, once you’re working with enough capital to diversify meaningfully.

Beyond the basics of a will and beneficiary designations, families at this level typically need trusts to manage tax exposure and control distribution, clear documentation of charitable intent, and a plan for how — and when — heirs are prepared to receive and manage significant wealth.

Most advisors in this space will tell you: the conversation matters more than the trust document. Involving your children in giving decisions while you’re alive, being transparent about your own financial philosophy, and building in stewardship expectations — not just inheritance mechanics — tends to matter more long-term than any legal structure alone.

Most employer retirement plans default into broad market index funds, which typically hold at least some companies that wouldn’t pass a biblical screen. A portfolio review is the only real way to know — it’s usually more revealing than people expect.

It typically starts with a full review of your current holdings, followed by a transition plan that moves assets into screened alternatives — timed to manage any tax consequences, not done all at once carelessly. Most of the process happens on the advisor’s side; your part is mostly the initial conversation and decisions along the way.

Reach out to begin a conversation. We’ll walk through your current situation, values, and goals, then determine whether a faith-aligned approach is the right next step for you.